Excavating apparatus.



No. 679,505. Patented July 30, l90l. F. K. HOOVER & A. J. MASON.

EXBA-VATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed. Mar. 29, 1897. (No Muriel.) 3 Shaets$heet l.

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No. 679,505. atented July 30, l90l. F. K. HOOVER & A. J. MASON.

EXGAVATING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 29, 1897. (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY.

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No. 679,505. Patonted'luly 30, I9OI.

F. K. HOOVER & A. J. MASON.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK K. HOOVER AND ARTHUR J. MASON, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI;

EXCAVATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,505, dated July 30,1901.

Application filed March 29, 1897. Serial No. 629,740. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: to substantially maintain apersistentangleof Be it known that we, FRANK K. HOOVER inclination to the horizontalduring the major and ARTHUR J. .MASON, citizens of the United portion oftheir travel in both opening and 55 States,residing at Kansas City,inthe county closing. Such a movement imparted to the of Jackson and Stateof Missouri, have inscoops enables them most advantageously to ventedcertain new and useful Improvements penetrate, plow, or cut earth orsoil, producing in Excavating Apparatus, of which the fola longplowing-like action adapted to gather lowing is a full, clear, and exactdescription, up rock, coal, ore, and lumpy material from 60 referencebeing had to the accompanying a large area at a shallow depth, and inhan- IO drawings, which form a part of this specificadling single piecesofrock orlumber affording tion. a closing grasp of great power, so thatthe Our invention relates to improvements in same may be safely liftedand transported. excavating apparatus of that class or type To the aboveends our invention resides in 65 commonly known as dredgingscoops, andcertain features of construction of a device of may be broadly definedas a power pick-up, the character specified, all as hereinafterdewherein the apparatus is ordinarily swung scribed and pointed out inthe claims, wherefrom a derrick-boom or other support and by by thepeculiar and advantageous movements means of power transferred from thehoistand operation of thetrays or scoops hereinbe- 7o ing-engine bycables or chains may at the will fore referred to are secured.

of the operator belowered or raised, opened or In the accompanyingdrawings, which shut, and so constructed and arranged that illustratethe preferred form of our invenin its closing operation it may grasp thema tion, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apterial to be handled,whether earth, stone, paratus with the trays closed. Fig. 2 is a 75coal, ore, lumber, or any other material. We plan view of the same. Fig.3 is a side elehave found that in order to obtain the best vation of theapparatus with the trays open results in the operation of a device ofthis at the point of dumping, showing in dotted character the particularmanner in which the lines the path and inclination of the trays intwoprincipal members of thescoopare caused opening and closing. Fig. 4.represents in 80 to approach each other in the loading operadiagram thegeneral form in which a cut is tion is of primary importance.Heretofore, made by our improved excavator, the dotted so far as we areaware, the two opposing shells lines showing the different cuts whichmay or trays of the scoop have been united to each be effected byvarying the inclination of the other and to a hoisting cable or chain insuch trays. Fig. 5 is a perspective detail of the 85 a manner and insuch relation as that the cuttrays in their closed position. Fig. 6 is adeting edges of the scoops or trays ordinarily tail in side elevation ofthe trays and the move through arcs of circles or other paths ofprincipal and auxiliary lever-arms connected a more or less pronouncedcurvature between therewith, the trays being shown in an intheir openingand closing extremes. lVe termediate position between their closed andgo have found by numerous experiments that open positions; and Figs. 7and 8 are views the best results in excavators of this characin sideelevation illustrating different positer are to be obtained when thescoops or tions of the trays intermediate the extremes trays are given avery slightly-curved path of of their travel. movement during the majorpart of their In the drawings, A represents the trays, travel from theclosed to the open position, the form of which is plainly shown in Fig.5,

45 the same more nearly approaching a horizonthe same being oppositelydisposed and havtal path, and at or near the outer limit of ing theircutting edges arranged adjacent their opening movement and the beginningeach other, as usual in this class of devices. of their closingmovementare tilted abruptly, B represents the principal lever-arms pivsothat their bottom surfaces present a conoted together at Jand at theirlower ends piv- 5o siderable angle to the horizontal. In giving otallyconnected with the trays at I). These this peculiar movement to thescoops we have arms B are preferably given the curved foralso found itadvantageous to cause the latter mation shown in the drawings, and itwill be observed that they cross each other between their points ofpivotal connection with each other and with the trays somewhat after thefashion of apair of shears.

0 represents what we term the auxiliary arms, the same being pivoted attheir lower or outer ends to the trays at c at points in rear of thepivotal connections of the arms B therewith, and each arm 0 is pivotallyconnected at its inner or upper ends at c with the proximate portion ofthe oppositelydisposed principal lever-arm B. By means of this peculiarconnection and arrangement of the auxiliary arms 0 relatively to thetrays and the principal arms B we are enabled to secure a peculiartravel and operation of the trays, as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed. As a means for effecting the opening of the trays thus hingedtogether we have devised the following mechanism: H H and H H representa pair of toggles which are pivotally connected together at their outerends by pivot-bolts and Z0 The outer ends of the toggles are connectedwith the trays A by means of arms K and K, as clearly shown. The toggleH H has its knee disposed coincident with the hinge J of the principallever-arms B, while to the knee h of the opposite toggle H H is secureda hoisting-cable L. In order to secure the simultaneous and equalmovement of the said toggles toward and past each other in the operationof. opening the scoop, the arms H and H of the toggles are extendedbeyond the pivotal points J and 70, as shown at h and h respectively,the latter extensions being connected at their outer ends by a bar H,which lies parallel with the arm H at all relative positions of thetoggles, and by its action causes an equal and opposite movement of thetoggles toward and from each other when the trays are opened and closed.

From the foregoing construction and relative arrangement of theoperating parts it will be seen that an upward draft on the cable Lwill, through the weight of the trays and their load, cause a relativedownward travel of the hinge J, during which movement the trays will begradually opened or separated, occupying successively the positionsshown in dotted lines atzyoc and in full lines in Fig. 3.

The closing of the trays is effected through an upward draft on aclosing-cable D, operating upon the trays through the followingdescribedmechanism: E and F designate corresponding arms of a pair of toggles,the outer ends of which are pivotally connected to the noses of thetrays A, as at e, and to the upper or inner ends of the principallever-arms B, as at f. At or near the knees of the toggles E F aremounted on shafts G G a pair of sheaves d and (Z and on the hinge-bolt Jor on a becket d, secured thereto, is mounted a third guide-sheave d,over which sheaves d, (1 and (1 passes the closing-cable D, the

lower end of said cable being secured to a fixed point adjacent tosheave d It will be readily seen from Fig. 3 that a hoisting strain onthe cable D will draw the sheaves d (1 and consequently the trays,together to the closed position shown in Fig. 1 with an energy greaterthan the strain on the cable D in proportion to the number of sheaves onthe shafts gand G or to the number of turns of the hoisting-cable aroundand between said sheaves.

In operation the apparatus is suspended upon the cable L, which causesit to assume the open position shown in Fig. 3, and is lowered to itsleading position. Cable Lis then slackened and the power transferred tocable D, whereby the apparatus is closed and loaded and is then elevatedand transported to the dump. The power being then again transferred fromcable D to cable L, the apparatus is automatically opened, the dumpmade, and the device is ready to be again returned, lowered, and loaded,as before.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate in full lines the positions of the trays andtheir operating mechanism in the opening and closing operationsintermediatethe extreme positionsillustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. Anexamination of Figs. 1, 7, 8, and 3 in the order named and in theconverse order will reveal the peculiarity of movement and action of thetrays and their operating devices in the opening and closing operations,respectively, as hereinabove referred to in the opening paragraphs ofthis specification. From these figures, as well as from the dotted-linepositions of the trays indicated in Fig. 3, it will be observed that the:trays through the major part of their opening and closing travel areheld and carried at a substantially persistent inclination to ahorizontal line and at a relatively acute angle thereto as compared withthe line of travel 0f the trays or scoops in prior devices of thischaracter. It will be observed that this persistence of inclination ofthe trays is due to the arrangement and action of the auxiliary arms 0relatively to the principal leverarms B, it being apparent that in theopening movement, as the principal arms B spread to carry the traysapart and in so doing tend to tilt the trays from their initialposition, the auxiliary arms 0 act upon the rear ends of the traysto'prevent such tilting and preserve the inclination. This preventiveaction of the auxiliary arm 0 continues until substantially the degreeof opening shown in Fig. 8 is reached, when in passing from the pointshown in Fig. 8 to that shown in Fig. 3 by the action of the auxiliaryarms 0 the trays are abruptly tilted to effect the dump. Likewise inclosing, at the beginning of the closing movement by the action of theauxiliary arms 0 the trays are rapidly tilted from the nearly-verticaldumping position shown in Fig. 3 t0 the inclination best adapted tocutting and taking up the load, as shown in Fig. 8, and by saidauxiliary arms 0 are prevented from further tilting and are held andretained at said desirable cutting and loading inclination.

The reason for the peculiar movement of the trays liereinabove describedis found in the manner of connecting each tray to the proximate portionof the opposing principal lever-arm through the auxiliary arm 0. It willbe observed that the latter is pivoted to the tray at a point 0 in rearof the pivotal connection b of the principal lever-arm therewith. As nowthe tray moves outwardly from its closed to its extreme open position,the two pivotal points a and b are carried outwardly and upwardlythrough lines of travel which remain substantially parallel through themajor part of the opening move ment. This being the case there is notendency on the part of the tray to tilt, and it is held at asubstantially persistent angle of inclination to the horizontal. D uringthe latter part of the opening movement the outer travel of the point eis stopped and for a brief space the point 0 even moves inwardly towardthe hinge J; butin the meanwhile the outer travel of the point I)continues in a gradually-increasing ratio to the degree of divergence ofthe principal arms B, the obvious result of this simultaneous pull ofthe heel of the tray and outward thrust of its nose being an abrupttilting of the tray, as hereinabove described, in a manner mostfavorable for the effective dumping of the load. The converse of thisaction obviously takes place between the commencement and conclusion ofthe closing movement, the trays entering the material to be removed at amost advantageous angle for penetration and being immediately thereaftershifted to an angle most effective for the cutting and scrapingoperation.

According to the proportions and arrangement of the lever-arms B and Gand their attachment to the trays and to each other the precise path ofthe trays may be varied, although its general characteristics, ashereinabove pointed out, will be preserved. When snow or ground plowedto a given depth or other soft and easily-yielding material is to beremoved, the arrangement may advantageously be such as to give a longapproach of the tray in the closing stroke in a position almosthorizontal, yet at the end of the opening stroke giving a quick andsudden tilt to the trays to a nearly-vertical position, resulting in aneffective dump. In Fig. i are shown three forms in which the excisedmaterial may be taken. Each form will be dependent on the path andinclination of the trays,which path and inclination may be secured, asabove stated, by varying the arrangement, proportions, and relations ofthe arms B and O, the lower solid lines showing the form of cut made inordinary soil when the parts are connected and related as shown in thedrawings.

Numerous advantages are secured by the operation of an excavatorconstructed as herein described and shown, among the principal of whichmay be mentioned the following: By the wide spread of the trays, ofwhich our invention is capable, thedevice is able to command a largespace for making the out. By giving the trays the most efficientinclination the entrance into the material is advantageously effectedand by taking the load in a shallow cut over a large area the cut ismost easily made, and obstructionssuch as roots, stones, and thelike-are more easily overcome when near the surface. In such shallowlong cut the bottom is left comparatively smooth and even, owing to theplowing action, and not full of semispherical holes, and as a result ofthis in mining where it is desired to clean and scrape the bed-rock suchshallow cut of the apparatus is most efficacious. The greater force withwhich the trays are closed, owing to the action of its jointed closingmechanism, enables it to operate with ease in any kind of material, andfrom the form and inclination of the trays,the cutting edge only restingon the bottom when the load is lifted, there is no suction to beovercome between the back of the tray and the bottom of the excavation.Finally,our improved device is free from latches or looks which aresubject to derangement in such work, being dependent only on simplelevers or links swinging around pivot-pins, and is positive andefficient in its action.

l/Ve claim as our invention 1. In an excavating apparatus, thecombination with a pair of oppositely disposed trays, of principallever-arms pivotally connected with said trays,and auxiliary arms alsopivoted to said trays in rear of the pivotal connection of saidprincipal arms therewith and each extending to and connected with theprincipal lever-arm of the opposite tray, substantially as described.

2. In an excavating apparatus, the combination with a pair of oppositelydisposed trays, of principal lever-arms pivotally connected with saidtrays and with each other, said arms crossing each other intermediatetheir pivotal points in all positions of the trays, and auxiliary armsalso pivoted to said trays and each extended to and connected with theproximate portion of the opposite principal arm, substantially asdescribed.

3. In an excavating apparatus, the combination with a pair ofoppositely-disposed trays, of principal lever-arms pivotally connectedwith said trays and with each other, said arms crossing each otherintermediate their pivotal points in all positions of the trays, andauxiliary arms also pivoted to said trays in rear of the pivotalconnection of said principal arms therewith and each extended to andconnected with the proximate portion of the opposite principal arm,substantially as described.

4. In an excavating apparatus, the combination with a pair ofoppositely-disposed trays, of principal lever-arms pivotally connectedwithsaid trays and with each other,

auxiliary arms also pivoted to said trays and to the proximate portionsof the principal leverarrns respectively, and'means for closing thetrays, said means comprising apair of toggles the outer ends of whichare pivoted to the trays and to the opposite principal lever-armsrespectively, and a suitably-guided cable connecting and drawingtogether the knees of the toggles, substantially as described.

. 5. In an excavating apparatus, the combination with a pair ofoppositelydisposed trays, of principal lever-arms pivotally connectedwith said trays and with each other, auxiliary arms also pivoted to saidtrays and to the proximate portions of the principal lever-armsrespectively, and means for closing the trays, said means comprising apair of oppositely-disposed toggles, the outer ends of which are pivotedto the noses of the trays and the upper extremities of the principallever-arms respectively,and a suitably-guided cable connecting anddrawing together the knees of the toggles, substantially as described.

6. In an excavating apparatus, the combination with a pair of oppositelydisposed trays, of principal lever-arms pivotally connected with saidtrays and with each other, auxiliary arms also pivoted to said trays andto the proximate portions of the principal lever-arms respectively, andmeans for closing the trays, said means comprising a pair of toggles theouter ends of which are pivoted to the trays and to the oppositeprincipal lever-arms respectively,guide-sheaves mounted at the knees ofthe toggles and near the pivotal connection of the principal lever-arms,and a suitable cable passing over said sheaves, substantially asdescribed.

7. In an excavating apparatus, the combination with a pair of oppositelydisposed trays, of principal lever-arms pivotally connected with saidtrays and with each other, auxiliary arms also pivoted to said trays andto the proximate portions of the principal lever-arms respectively, andmeans for open? ing the trays, said means comprising a pair ofoppositelydisposed toggles pivoted together at their outer ends, theknee of one of said toggles being at the pivotal connection of theprincipal lever-arms, connections between the outer ends of the togglesand the trays, and a suitable cable connected to the knee of the othertoggle, substantially as described.

8. In an excavating apparatus, the combination with a pair of oppositelydisposed trays, of principal lever-arms pivotally connected with saidtrays and with each other, auxiliary arms also pivoted to said trays andto the proximate portions of the principal lever-arms respectively, andmeans for opening the trays, said means comprising a pair of oppositelydisposed toggles pivoted together at their outer ends and having meansconnected therewith for effecting the simultaneous and equal movement ofsaid toggles toward and past each other, the knee of one of said togglesbeing at the pivotal connection of the principal lever-arms, connectionsbetween the outer ends of the toggles and the trays, and a suitablecable connected to the knee of the other toggle, substantially asdescribed.

9. In an excavating apparatus, the combination with a pair of oppositelydisposed trays, of principal lever-arms pivotally connected with saidtrays and with each other, auxiliary arms also pivoted to said trays andto the proximate portions of the principal lever-arms respectively,toggle mechanism connected to said trays through the actuation of whichthe trays may be opened, other toggle mechanism also connected to saidtrays by the actuation of which the trays may be closed, and suitablecables connected to and actuating said toggle mechanisms, substantiallyas described.

FRANK K. HOOVER. ARTHUR J. MASON.

Witnesses:

G. E. KOONS, E. D. MILEs.

